Amy Madigan Wins Actor Award for Supporting Actress, Performs Iconic 'Weapons' Run on Stage
Amy Madigan, 75, edged her fellow nominees to win the Actor Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger’s horror film Weapons. The victory, at the 32nd annual Actor Awards, carried extra resonance: Madigan delivered the film’s signature run onstage and said the honor marked a first nomination and win from her acting peers.
Amy Madigan’s acceptance at the Actor Awards
On the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall stage in Los Angeles, Madigan accepted the 2026 Supporting Actress trophy and told the audience, “I’ve been doing this a long ass time, and I have never been nominated by the SAG committee and by the Screen Actors Guild. ” She described herself as a proud union member from Chicago and emphasized generational ties to union work, saying her friends and relatives were union people and that “they’re not going to bust us. ”
Introduced for the category by Orlando Bloom, who described Aunt Gladys as “terrorizing a suburb in a wig and a tracksuit, ” Madigan physically reenacted the film’s memorable run that children perform in Weapons as she took the stage. She later quipped about the trophy with a childhood joke: when given a Barbie and Ken, “you whipped down his drawers and you went, ‘Ken has nothing!’”
Role of Aunt Gladys in Weapons and prequel conversation
Madigan plays Aunt Gladys in Zach Cregger’s original horror film Weapons, a performance that helped push the film to a 93 percent critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and spurred fan interest in further stories about the character. Madigan said that director Zach Cregger “has a map of what he would like to do” for a possible prequel, and she called the idea of revisiting Gladys “such a blast, ” while stressing that until plans are real they remain possibilities.
Nominees, Oscars nod and ceremony details
Madigan’s fellow nominees in the supporting actress field included Odessa A’zion for Marty Supreme, Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners, Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another and Ariana Grande for Wicked: For Good; Ariana Grande did not attend the ceremony because she was rehearsing for an upcoming tour. The 32nd annual Actor Awards took place on Sunday night at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles with Kristen Bell serving as host. Madigan is also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress on March 15, marking her second Oscar nomination after a nod in 1985 for Twice in a Lifetime.
Ensemble acknowledgments and casting challenges
Madigan made a point of thanking an extensive Weapons ensemble, naming Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong and Toby Huss, along with the film’s children and stunt performers. She said, “I did terrorize them, but I let them rip me apart, so it was OK, ” and singled out director Zach Cregger for the honor.
